Finding Ninot: Exposition of Ninots 2017

Doer and I accidentally stumbled upon the Exposición del Ninot 2017 when we dropped by the City of Arts and Sciences with our friend Wendy at the end of January. Most of the combustible figures are destined to burn the final night of the Fallas festival this Sunday; however, each year one of them is pardoned by popular vote, and it is destined to live in perpetuity in the Museo Fallero, which we visited earlier this year.

The entrance to the exposition at the City of Arts and Sciences

After the ninot indultado, or pardoned ninot, is announced tonight, the unfortunate remaining figures will be placed around the bases of the doomed giant monuments, which also happen to be called fallas.

Rough translation – Fallas: Inmaterial UNESCO Heritage of Humanity.

Of course, some ninots that paid homage to the Fallas festival itself.

I love the bat in this falla association medal.

Many ninots are sexually suggestive.

There’s plenty of potty humor.

Artists have used ninots as vehicles of social critique for quite some time.

The man is holding various medals and prizes; the bags on the ground say illustrators, designers, and writers.Rough translation: Here the girls earn.

Most text at the exposition was in Valencian – Doer and I consulted our Catalan dictionary apps often (the languages are quite similar).

I think of this next one as The Bull’s Revenge.

Politics and politicians are frequent targets of ninot satire.

The dark sheep represents People’s Party and the white sheep represents the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party.

Mariano Rajoy, prime minister of Spain

The fearless leader ponders further cuts to health, education, and social services.A very similar ninot – middle tree says “political class.”

The bat represents Lo Rat Penat, a Valencian Cultural Society.

Donald Trump, president of the United States

A commentary on Trump’s proposed wall – I didn’t understand all of the translation from Valencian, but part of it said that Trump said it isn’t racism and the wall was going to imitate China’s wall.

After viewing the exposition, Doer and I voted for our favorites. The ninot pictured above received the most votes, and it will be spared from the flames and will live out its days in the Fallas museum in Valencia.